Arsenal v Sporting CP Live Commentary & Result, 3/16/23, UEFA Europa League

Thanks for joining us for live coverage of Sporting CP's 5-3 penalty shoot-out victory over Arsenal after a 3-3 draw on aggregate. Goodbye!

Amorim's men can now await the quarter-final draw on Friday to see who will stand between them and the final four of the Europa League. For the Gunners, they will have to quickly get over this disappointment as they turn their attentions back to picking up their first Premier League title since the 2003-04 'Invincibles' campaign.

It is Sporting who will advance to the last eight of the Europa League after a dramatic penalty shoot-out win over Arsenal! A 2-2 draw in the first leg in Portugal had the tie finely poised, but Xhaka looked to have put the Gunners on their way to victory with his 19th-minute strike. However, the visitors were much better after the interval and Pote levelled with a wonderful effort from just inside the Arsenal half, catching Ramsdale off his line. The game was forced into extra-time, and Arteta's men were unlucky not to find a winner in the additional 30 minutes with Trossard hitting the post and Gabriel also going close, while Ugarte was given a second yellow for a poor challenge on Saka. The first seven penalties in the shoot-out were all scored until Adan, who was brilliant throughout the game, made the vital stop down to his left from Martinelli before Santos smashed home the winning penalty to clinch a 5-3 win on spot-kicks.

FULL-TIME: ARSENAL 1-1 SPORTING CP (SPORTING CP WIN 5-3 ON PENALTIES)

Adán

Penalty Save

Adan dives to his left and gets a big strong hand to punch Martinelli's spot-kick away.

SANTOS WINS IT FOR SPORTING!!! Under huge pressure, Santos lashes into the right of the net past the despairing Ramsdale to seal a 5-3 win on penalties for the Portuguese side!

SAVED!!! Martinelli steps up and fires towards the bottom right corner, but Adan gets down superbly to palm it away and hand Sporting the advantage.

GOMES SCORES!!! The substitute's penalty is not the greatest, but it just about finds its way under Ramsdale's dive to his right.

TROSSARD LEVELS!!! Adan goes the right way, but it agonisingly goes just past his fingertips to make it 3-3 in the shoot-out.

JUST ABOUT!!! Ramsdale dives the correct way and gets a big hand to Inacio's penalty, but the power on the spot-kick means it sneaks in anyway. Sporting lead 3-2!

SO COOL FROM SAKA!!! Arsenal's star man calmly buries his penalty as Adan goes the wrong way.

IT IS 2-1!!! Ramsdale guesses the right way, but Esgaio's penalty just has too much power on it and nestles into the back of the net.

ODEGAARD MAKES NO MISTAKE!!! Arsenal's captain sends Adan the wrong way, and coolly slots into the bottom left corner.

ST. JUSTE SCORES!!! The centre-back steps up first, and absolutely thumps his penalty past Ramsdale.

This will be Arsenal's 23rd penalty shootout in all competitions (won 14 & lost eight of their previous 22) and just their second at home, after a 9-8 shootout win against Rotherham at Highbury in the EFL Cup back in October 2003.

We're going to penalties after a 1-1 draw in this thrilling second leg means the tie ends 3-3 on aggregate, with penalties needed to decide who will reach the Europa League last eight. Arsenal looked to have seized control of the tie when Xhaka put them ahead in the 19th minute, but Pote's sublime effort from just inside the Gunners' half levelled the game. The hosts looked the more likely to find a winner in extra-time, but the visitors held out to force this game to spot-kicks, despite Ugarte receiving a second yellow card late on.

120' + 1' FULL-TIME: ARSENAL 1-1 SPORTING CP

M. Tanlongo

M. Edwards

119' Edwards is replaced by Tanlongo.

O. Diomande

Yellow Card

118' Diomande also goes in the book for a foul on Odegaard.

118' Sent off! Ugarte receives a second yellow after a very reckless sliding challenge on Saka in midfield. That was a really poor tackle.

118' Close again! Gabriel gets his head on the end of the resulting corner, but Adan is there again to save it.

117' What a save! Gabriel gets his head on the end of an Odegaard delivery from a free-kick, and it looks to be flying into the back of the net until Adan gets a strong hand to paw it over.

115' The Gunners are continuing to put on the pressure with Sporting largely camped in their own box, though the Portuguese side are defending resolutely.

113' Inacio is struggling with cramp, though he appears okay to continue.

110' It is the hosts who are looking the more likely to find a winner before the end of extra-time, with Odegaard increasingly pulling the strings after his introduction. Can he help them find a goal?

108' Another chance goes begging as Odegaard sends a header high and wide.

106' The ball sits up nicely for Partey to hit, but his effort is always curling away and never really troubles Adan between the Sporting sticks.

106' The hosts get us back underway for the second period of extra-time.

The game remains level at 1-1 and 3-3 on aggregate. The Gunners came mighty close to getting their noses back in front though, with Adan making a vital stop to tip Trossard's shot onto the post after a loose pass from Chermiti set the Arsenal man in on goal.

105' + 2' HALF-TIME: ARSENAL 1-1 SPORTING CP

105' + 1' Close! Holding gets on the end of Saka's corner, but he gets well underneath his header and the ball ends up flying high over the crossbar.

105' A minute has been added on at the end of this first period of extra-time.

Arthur Gomes

Trincão

105' Trincao comes off for Gomes.

103' Chermiti wants a foul after a heavy challenge from Gabriel, but the referee waves play on.

M. Ødegaard

Fábio Vieira

101' Vieira is replaced by Odegaard.

98' Off the post!!! The hosts come so, so close to going back in front! A terrible pass from Chermiti puts Trossard through on goal, but Adan does superbly to get a hand to the Arsenal man's effort and tip it onto the woodwork and wide.

96' Arsenal have lost five of their seven European ties that went to extra-time (including penalty shoot-out defeats).

Nuno Santos

Matheus Reis

94' Santos also comes on for Reis.

Dário Essugo

Pote

94' Pote, whose spectacular goal took us to extra-time, makes way for Essugo.

91' The visitors get us back underway for extra-time.

Arteta's men could have really done with the game not going to extra-time with another big game against Crystal Palace coming up at the weekend in their bid to lift the Premier League title. Sporting meanwhile do not play again until after the international break. Will they be more willing to leave less in the tank and clinch their place in the last eight?

A much-improved second-half display from the visitors forces this game to extra-time, having not managed a shot on target in the opening 45 minutes and going into the break a goal behind after Xhaka's strike. The Portuguese side levelled in incredible fashion, as Pote's brilliant effort from just inside the Arsenal half beat Ramsdale and found the back of the net. Both sides had chances to prevent this game going to an additional period, but neither could take them and another 30 minutes and potentially a penalty shoot-out are required to split these teams.

90' + 4' FULL-TIME: ARSENAL 1-1 SPORTING CP

90' + 3' The corner is headed away from danger, while a free-kick is given for an infringement against a Sporting defender. It looks as if we are heading for extra-time.

90' + 2' Trossard wins a late corner, and the Gunners will have the chance to get the ball into the box.

90' There will be four minutes of additional time.

Youssef Chermiti

Paulinho

90' Paulinho makes way for Chermiti.

87' Time is running out on these two teams if they want to prevent this game going to extra-time.

85' Arsenal scream for a penalty as Martinelli's shot hits the arm of Reis, though a delayed flag goes up for offside.

84' Saka has been quiet since his introduction. Can the Gunners get their star man involved and find a winner?

82' Xhaka gets his head on the end of a Trossard corner, but the ball skims harmlessly wide for a goal-kick.

81' Vieira's free-kick attempt a moment ago was Arsenal's first shot in the second half.

79' Vieira tries to curl towards the bottom left corner, but Adan gets down relatively comfortably to punch it wide.

78' Martinelli goes down after a coming together with Diomande, and the Gunners will have a free-kick in a dangerous shooting position.

76' Martinelli momentarily stays down after a heavy aerial collision with St. Juste, but play has now resumed.

75' Ramsdale requires a bit of treatment after that blow to his face, but he is up and okay to continue.

73' What a save!!! Ramsdale makes a brilliant stop to deny Edwards! Sporting win the ball back in a threatening area again, and Esgaio puts Edwards in on goal. The former Tottenham man's effort looks goalbound, but the Arsenal goalkeeper denies him with his face.

R. Holding

Yellow Card

71' Holding goes in the book for a foul on Paulinho.

69' At 46.05 yards, Pote's strike is the goal from the furthest distance in the Europa League this season.

67' The Gunners are looking nervy at the back, with a corner causing havoc before Holding finally manages to boot it away from danger.

B. Saka

R. Nelson

66' Saka also comes on for Nelson.

T. Partey

Jorginho

65' Arteta reacts by bringing Partey on for Jorginho.

65' Arsenal look all at sea all of a sudden, as Paulinho sends a header from a corner just over the crossbar. The momentum is with the visitors at the minute.

Paulinho

Assist

62' Paulinho nudged the ball to Pote before his ridiculous long-range finish.

Pote

Goal

62' GOAL!!! Incredible!!! What a strike to put Sporting level! Arsenal sloppily give the ball away in midfield, and Pote spots Ramsdale off his line. He decides to go for the spectacular from just inside the Gunners' half, and his ambitious effort is brilliant to beat the scrambling Ramsdale and dip under the crossbar to make it 1-1!

60' Some neat build-up play gives Trossard the ball in a dangerous position, but his touch is too heavy and runs away for a goal-kick.

58' When failing to win a home first leg of a two-legged knockout tie in major European competition, Sporting have been eliminated in 21 of their previous 22 such ties, although the exception was most recently, beating Midtjylland in this season’s Europa League play-off round after a 4-0 second-leg away win.

56' Sporting are winless in their last nine away games against English sides in major European competition (four draws, five losses) since beating Middlesbrough 3-2 in the 2004-05 Europa League last 16.

M. Ugarte

Yellow Card

53' Ugarte is yellow-carded after a foul on Martinelli.

51' The Gunners are unbeaten in their last 23 games in all competitions when leading at half-time (won 22, drawn one), since a 2-1 defeat at the Emirates Stadium against Manchester City on New Year's Day 2022.

49' Pote tries his luck from range, but his curler soars high over the crossbar.

48' Gabriel makes a vital interception to prevent Paulinho getting a shot away at goal.

46' The visitors get us back underway for the second period.

L. Trossard

Gabriel Jesus

46' Jesus' first start since returning from injury is over, as Trossard replaces him at the break.

Sporting are still well in this tie, but they will have to find some more attacking threat after the interval having not recorded a shot on target in the first half. With the Gunners suffering injury blows at the back with both Tomiyasu and Saliba forced off, can they see out the game and secure their place in the last eight?

Arsenal take a 1-0 lead into the break of this second leg after Xhaka's 19th-minute strike put them 3-2 ahead on aggregate. Adan made an impressive stop to deny Martinelli's shot, but could not prevent Xhaka slotting home the rebound. Adan was forced into another important stop not long after, denying Jesus a goal on his return after some clever footwork created the space to shoot.

45' + 5' HALF-TIME: ARSENAL 1-0 SPORTING CP

45' + 4' So close! Ugarte has time to look up and take aim at Ramsdale's goal from range, and his drilled effort takes a little deflection before whizzing inches past the post.

G. Xhaka

Yellow Card

45' + 2' Xhaka is booked for bringing down Trincao.

45' There will be four minutes of additional time at the end of this first half.

43' Arsenal have lost just one of their nine home games against Portuguese clubs in all European competition (seven wins, one draw), a 3-1 defeat to Benfica which saw them eliminated from the 1991-92 Champions League last 16.

41' St. Juste charges out of defence and gets into a great shooting position, but he loses composure at the crucial moment and blazes over Ramsdale's crossbar.

39' Can either side find a goal before half-time?

36' Sporting are yet to record a shot on target so far in this match.

34' The game has just hit a bit of a lull in recent minutes after a frenzied first half hour.

32' Jorginho is unbeaten in his last 20 appearances in the Europa League, winning 13 and drawing seven.

30' Neat footwork from Jesus sees him weave into the Sporting box, but Adan makes another important stop to palm his right-footed shot away from danger.

29' A long punt upfield from Adan is seized upon by Edwards, though Zinchenko does well to recover and block his effort before it can trouble Ramsdale.

28' The hosts are looking the more likely to grab the next goal of this second leg. This time it is Martinelli who forces a decent stop from Adan after the ball came to him from a corner.

26' Xhaka has scored five goals for Arsenal in all competitions this season, his best tally in a single campaign for the Gunners.

Fábio Vieira

Yellow Card

24' Vieira is the first player to go in the book for a foul on Diomande.

23' There is a big let-off for Sporting as Jesus beats Reis with some clever stepovers and goes down in the visitors' box, only for a delayed offside flag to go up.

R. Holding

W. Saliba

21' There is another big injury blow at the back for Arteta as Saliba limps off for Holding.

G. Xhaka

Goal

19' GOAL!!! Xhaka gives Arsenal the lead! Martinelli is played in, but Adan makes a great stop to deny his low effort. However, Xhaka is there waiting to tuck away the rebound first-time and put the Gunners 1-0 up and 3-2 ahead on aggregate!

18' The hosts scream for a penalty as Martinelli takes a tumble, but the referee waves away the protests.

17' Nelson whips a dangerous ball into the Sporting box and Jesus manages to divert it goalwards, though Adan is able to scramble across and tip it wide.

15' Jesus looks to latch onto Jorginho's deft lofted throughball, but it just skips off the surface and runs through to the waiting hands of Adan.

13' So close! Trincao cuts in from the right before unleashing a curling left-footed effort towards the far corner, though it flies just past the post with Ramsdale at full stretch.

11' It has been an even opening here, with both sides yet to really stamp their authority and seize control of this second leg.

B. White

T. Tomiyasu

9' Tomiyasu is forced to make way, with White the man chosen to replace him.

8' There is an early injury worry here for Arteta as Tomiyasu goes down after twisting his leg awkwardly.

6' An early chance for Sporting to get the ball into the box from a free-kick goes awry as they play it short before losing possession.

5' Ugarte is pressured in midfield, but some really clever footwork sees him escape the Gunners' clutches and allow him to play forward.

3' Arsenal are controlling possession early on here with the visitors looking content to let them have it.

1' The hosts kick us off and we are underway!

The two teams make their way onto the pitch ahead of this huge Europa League clash.

Visiting boss Ruben Amorim goes with five changes from the 3-0 victory over Boavista, as Adan replaces Israel in goal while St. Juste and Inacio come into the defence. Paulinho is preferred to Chermiti up top, while Trincao starts on the left-wing.

Home manager Mikel Arteta makes five changes from the 3-0 win at Fulham at the weekend, with the big news that Jesus makes his first start since suffering a knee injury at the World Cup in Qatar with Brazil. Vieira and Jorginho come into the midfield for Partey and Odegaard, while Saka drops to the bench for Nelson.

SUBS: Sotiris Alexandropoulos, Arthur Gomes, Dario Essugo, Abdul Fatawu Issahaku, Nuno Santos, Franco Israel, Mateus Fernandes, Mateo Tanlongo, Youssef Chermiti, Jovane Cabral, Rochinha, Luis Neto.

SPORTING CP (3-4-3): Antonio Adan; Ousmane Diomande, Jeremiah St. Juste, Goncalo Bernardo Inacio; Ricardo Esgaio, Pote, Manuel Ugarte, Matheus Reis; Marcus Edwards, Paulinho, Trincao.

SUBS: Matt Turner, James Hillson, Leandro Trossard, Jakub Kiwior, Rob Holding, Thomas Partey, Martin Odegaard, Kieran Tierney, Ben White, Emile Smith Rowe, Bukayo Saka.

ARSENAL (4-4-2): Aaron Ramsdale; Takehiro Tomiyasu, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Oleksandr Zinchenko; Reiss Nelson, Granit Xhaka, Jorginho, Fabio Vieira; Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli.

The visitors won just two of their Champions League group-stage matches to force them to drop into the Europa League, but a dominant 5-1 aggregate victory over Midtjylland in the play-off round kept their hopes of picking up European glory alive. They have endured a disappointing season so far, sitting fourth in their domestic league to leave this competition as their only real hope of picking up any silverware come the end of the campaign.

An entertaining 2-2 draw in Lisbon means this tie and a place in the quarter-finals is well up for grabs for both teams. The Gunners are yet to win a major European trophy despite their decorated history, finishing runners-up in this competition in the 1999-2000 and 2018-19 campaigns. They come into this game in great form, winning five of their last six in all competitions to leave them holding a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League.

Hello and welcome to live coverage of the Europa League round-of-16 second-leg clash between Arsenal and Sporting CP at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal v Sporting CP Live Commentary, 3/16/23

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